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The Angels Of Sainte-Mere-Eglise
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This is a song I wrote about Pvt. John Marvin Steele whose parachute was caught on a church steeple in during the early hours of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. A YouTube video is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO-kB--T12Y
singer songwriter acoustic beatles music florida new york love songs writer college performer larry whitler robin macblane
Artist picture
I am a solo singer/songwriter. My music is mostly soft although my songs could easily be performed in mostly any style.
For me, it's all about the song. That mysteriously magical thing that happens when a lyric is married to a melody. The writing process is invigorating and exciting while simultaneously being exasperating and difficult. It is that moment when music is being composed and a lyric is being written when I am truly the "artist at his easel." The creative process continues when the song is brought into the studio to be recorded because, as in writing, the production and arrangement processes also have their own sets of challenges. Those challenges are always dictated by the song itself and the task at hand at that moment is to be true to the song and carefully craft a recording that reflects what the song is about. Part three, for me, is to then take that song and perform it. It is the purest form of displaying this work of art called a song and is the only place where the magic of the creation is reflected back to me from a room full of interested listeners. And at that moment it is only as magical as the audience makes me believe it is. My CDs are all available on CDBaby.com.
Song Info
Genre
Pop Indie Pop
Charts
Peak #230
Peak in subgenre #40
Author
Words and Music by Larry Whitler
Rights
2009 Quill And Keyboard Productions
Uploaded
May 17, 2009
Track Files
MP3
MP3 10.4 MB 320 kbps 4:33
Lyrics
John Marvin Steele Had a story to tell From the north part of France In Normandy In the early hours of D-Day Preparing to jump Je suis American---- Je suis American--- The people of Sainte-Mere-Eglise Remember that day in their hearts And their streets The liberation of Normandy Vive la France Nous somme libre--- Nous somme libre--- And the bells tolled And the guns fired And a barn burned down And from the light of the fire Hitler's Nazis were pickin' 'em off As they fell into town The 505th Parachute Infantry Left their blood on the ground--- John Marvin Steele Drifted down to that hell Where the angels of Sainte-Mere-Eglise Kept him from meeting a certin death Down in the street Gloire 'a Dieu--- Gloire 'a Dieu--- And the bells tolled And the guns fired And Private Steele hung on For his life Hitler's Nazis could not hold them off And they met their defeat Heaven in France was returned To the angels of Sainte-Mere-Eglise And the bells continue to toll And the children run free in the streets And a mannequin trooper hangs from the church In John Marvin Steele's memory And the bells toll And they live their lives in peace Heaven on earth in the north part of France For the angels of Sainte-Mere-Eglise
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Comments 1
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robnonair
May 16, 2009
Very moving song, Larry! Very intense! What a story you have told! Your vocal, the strings, the story, the entire song. What a beautiful and moving tribute to John Steele and the Paratroopers and to the soldiers of today who still fight to keep our country and our families safe! God Bless You, Larry, for telling this story!